Cartridge loading machine



(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 1. W. E. ELAM.

CARTRIDGE LOADING MACHINE.

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CARTRIDGE LOADING MACHINE.

Patented Mar. 1, 1887.,

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MQE======E= i It I av -1 W UNITED \VILLIAM E. ELAM, OF AMERIOUS, GEORGIA.

CARTRIDGE-LOADING MACHINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 358,440, dated March 1, 1887.

Application filed August 31, 1886. Serial No. 212,38. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, W'ILLIAM E. ELAM, a citizen of the United States, residing at Americus, in the county of Sumter and State of Georgia, have invented certain new and use ful Improvements in Cartridge-Loading Machines; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the same, reference being had to the annexed drawings, making a part of this specification, and to the letters and figures of reference marked thereon.

Figure 1 of the drawings is a perspective view of my invention with a portion of the frame broken away to show the cut-offs; Fig. 2, a transverse vertical section thereof, showing the powder and shot compartments removed and the lower portion of the machine in elevation, with the exception of the supporting-plate for the cartridge-shell, which is in section; Fig. 3, a horizontal section taken on line at m of Fig. 2, and Fig. i a perspective view of the device for supplying the wad-receptacle.

The present invention has relation to that class of machines employed for charging cartridge-shells with the proper quantity of powder and shot, and also inserting the wads therein; and the object of the invention is to provide such a machine in which the charging or loading is done both accurately and rapidly, and in which the wads are fed to the plunger automatically, and the powder-charger, alter having been adjusted, will under all circumstances deliver a uniform charge of powder to the shell.

The above-named objects I attain by the construction substantially as shown in the drawings, and hereinafter described and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings, A repre sents an upright frame of any desirable form and construction, and of any preferred size. The upper portion of the frame A is provided with a receptacle divided into two compartments, B C, by a central partition, (shown in dotted lines,) and has a hinged lid, D, held closed by a suitable fastening.

The compartments B O are for powder and shot, respectively, and are provided with pipes or tubes 0. b, which are disposed at about the same angle with relation to each other, as shown, and their purpose is to deliver the powder and shot to the chargers, which will be hereinafter described. Each compartment is provided with a screw-threaded hole closed by a suitablestopper, a, engaging therewith, and through which the powder and shot can be drawn off when desired.

Instead of the two compartments, as shown, two large funnels may be used-onefor the powder and the other for the shot.

Between the tubes at b are located slotted wad-receptacles E E and a plunger, F, to force the wad in the shell as it is delivered from the wad'receptacle. These receptacles are similar in form and construction, and are supplied with wads by means of a device consisting of a metal trough, G, having one end partly closed around its circumference, as shown at b, Fig. 4.

The trough G is first filled with wads by laying one flat upon the other, and with one finger upon the upper wad the device is inserted in the receptacles, and by drawing it out the wads are left therein. Resting upon the top of the wads in the receptacles are followers H, which are of sufficient weight to keep them pressed down, said weighted followers having suitable handles, 0, extending out through slots (1, to enable them to be with drawn when supplying the receptacles with a new charge of wad.

The lower portion of the frame A is recessed, as shown at f, and is formed with a semicircular seat, 6, for the shell of the cartridge, as shown at \V, said cartridge being held in po sition by spring-catches g h, of any desirable construction. The base of the recess f, upon which the shell rests, is metal-lined, as shown at i, and has a small hole, j, over which the cap on the shell is located, so that there will be no danger of its exploding when the plunger F is forced down on the wad in the shell To the frame Ais hinged a carrier, I, having detachably connected thereto in any suitable manner a funnel-shaped cylinder, J, and when the carrier is closed against the frame the cylinder fits in a correspondingly-iormed seat, It, immediately above and on a line with the seat 6 for the cartridge-shell, the lower ex- ICO tremity of the cylinder J being held by the spring-catches g.

In practice I prefer to use a metal plate to fit into and form the semicircular seat 6, this plate having flanges Z, for securing it in place by screws or other like fastenings, the flanges having projecting therefrom the springcatches g h, for receiving and securely holding the cartridgeshell in position.

The carrier I, when closed, nicely fits in the recess m, and is held closed by a button or other similar fastening, thereby forming a continuons channel from the top of cylinder J to the base of the cartridge-shell for receiving the powder, shot, and wads. After the plunger F is pressed down and released, a spiral spring, it, forces it upward ready to be again operated upon, the lower end of the plunger having a removable head, 0, connected thereto by screwthreads.

The object of having the funnelshaped cylinder J, head 0, and the metal plate forming the seat 6 for the cartridge-shell removable is to replace them with different sizes, to adapt the machine for loading shells of different calibers. It is preferred that the diameter of the smallest one of the heads 0 should be greater than the diameter of the hole in which the plunger F works, so that the head will serve as a stop to limit the upward movement of the plunger.

To avoid the charge of powder being affected by the ramming, and also by the amount of powder that may be in the magazine, I provide two operatingslides, K K, which move separately and have connected to them eccentrically-pivoted cut-offs IT N, respectively, by means of rods 1", said cut-offs being pivoted to the frame of the machine, and when in their normal condition close the respective apartments below them, as more clearly shown in Fig. 3. The slides K K have each a pushrod, 0, around which is coiled a spiral spring, 8, to return them to their normal position, the former one of said slides being provided with a charger, L, whose capacity is graduated by means of cores L. This slide K measn res and delivers the powder to the shell, and, like sl ide K, delivers the wads to the shell.

The charger is formed of the piece q, detachabl y fitted in the slide K, the core fitting close down upon a plate, M, hinged to the under side of the slide, as shown in Fig. 2. While I have shown this form as the most preferable, I do not wish to be confined thereto, as this portion of the slide can be made solid and the charger formed by simply boring or otherwise forming a hole through it, the capacity of such charger being increased or diininished by means found most practicable.

The hinged plate M forms the bottom of the charger, said plate falling of its own weight when the charger is forced in, thus precipitating a charge of powder to the shell, and at or near this point the cut-off N opens the discharge-opening at the lower end of the tube a,

to supply the apartment P with the required quantity of powder,which is fed to the charger, when the latter is brought back to its normal position by means of the spring 8, the cut-off N being opened for the purpose, as will be hereinafter described.

To prepare the machine for loading, the shell is first placed in position and the respective apartments supplied with powder, wads, and shot, after which the slide K is pushed in, which opens the cut-off N and fills the apartment P with powder. Push in the slide K. This opens the cut-off N and fills the charger L with powder from the apartment P. Itemove the shot and wads that have been precipitated on account of having worked the slides, and the machine is ready for the op eration of loading, and will remain so as long as the supply of ammunition is kept up. Presumin now, that the shell W has received a load ofpowder, the same passing through the spout 1) into the cylinder J, thence into the cartridge-shell, and a wad being supplied to the shell, as will be described hereinafter, as the slide K is pushed in, the cut-off Nwill be thrown around, opening the lower end of the compartment P, allowing the powder therein to fill the charger. To obtain a load of shot, push in the slide K, when, by means of the trip devices 15 striking against the bar Q, the charger R will be supplied with and delivered of a charge of shot, which passes through the channel U down into the shell. Having obtained a load of shot, as above described, as the slide K is released and returned to its position by the spring 8, the bottom wad will be brought from the wad-chamber E, and at the same time the cutoff N will be thrown around, so that the top of the powder-charger will be closed. The wad falls down through the opening '20 in the cylinder J, whence it is driven home by the plunger I The top of the powder-charger being now closed, it will be seen that any amount of ramming will not affect the amount of powder therein.

Having put in an empty shell properly capped, as hereinbefore described, the slide K is pushed in as far as it will go, when the hinged plate M will fall, precipitating a load of powder into the shell, and when returning to its normal position a wad is delivered from the wad-chamber E to the opening 10, whence it passes to the cylinder J, and is driven by means of the plunger F into the cartridge-shell above the powder. As the slide K is pushed in, the cut-off N is operated to admit the powder from the tube a into the compartment P, causing the latter to become filled with powder.

It will be seen that whenever the cut-off N is operated so as to open the top of the charger the top of the apartment P remains closed by means of the cut-off N; hence the densityof the powder in the charger must be uniform, it being affected by practically constant quantity-viz., the weight of a volume of powder ILO which is the excess of the capacity of the apartment 1? over that in the charger L.

By having the apartment P and by having the shot-slide K to operate the cut-off N, the powder-charger, after having been adjusted, will under all circumstances deliver a uniform amount of powder to the shell.

The rod 0, working in the opening 8, and around which is coiled the spring 8, is fastened to the slide K by means of the screw it.

The wad-carriers S are rigidly connected to or formed with their respective slides K K, the construction of these wad-carriers being more clearly shown in Fig. 3, and when the slides move the wad-carriers move with them. When the slides are in their normal position, the lowermost one in each receptacle rests upon the extremity of the wad-carriers, and when either of the carriers is forced in from under the wad the wad will fall upon a support, as shown at 1", and as the slides resume their former position, and after the supply of powder and shot has been delivered to the cartridge-shell, the wads will be carried forward u to be delivered to the shell to their respective openings w w, the action of the wad-carriers in delivering the wads being the same in both instances, and it will be noticed that a shell can be loaded in four motions-via, one motion for the powder and wad, one motion for the shot and wad, and two motions for the ramming.

If preferred, a stationary platform may be used between the slides K K for the upper one to slide upon, and I reserve the right to make such changes in the several details of construction in the operating parts of my machine as would co'me within ordinarymechanical skill.

, Having now fully described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is- V 1. In a eartridgeloading machine, a slide provided with a powder-charger, in combination with an eccentricallypivoted cut-off ar ranged above it and a rod connected thereto and to the slide,whereby the cut-off is operated by the movement of said slide, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

2. In a cartridge-loading machine, the combination, with a slide provided with a powder-charger, of a removable core for regulating the holding capacity thereof and a hinged plate connected to the under side of the slide to form the bottom thereof, substantially as and for the purpose specified.

3. In a cartridge-loading machine, a slide provided with a powder-charger having a hinged bottom, in combination with an automaticallyoperating cut-off, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

4. In a cartridge-loading machine, a shotcharger provided with a cross-bar connected to the valve-1ever thereof, in combination with a slide provided with a push-rod and spring, said slide being provided with trip devices which are brought against the ends of the cross-bar for operating it, substantially as and for the purpose described.

5. In a cartridge-loading machine, a slide provided with a powder-charger having a removable core and a hinged plate connected to the under side of the slide to form the bottom of the charger, in combination with a pushrod and spring for bringing the slide back to its normal position after pressure is removed therefrom, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

6. In a cartridge-loading machine, the combination, with the wad-receptacles, of, slides provided with wad-carriers arranged one above the other and constructed as shown, the extremities thereof forming a support for the lowermost one of the wads in each receptacle when the slides are in their normal position, said carriers having openings through which the wads fall to be delivered to the cartridgeshell, substantially as and for the purpose specified.

7. In a cartridge-loading machine,two wadreceptacles, a plunger for ramming the wads in the cartridge-shell, and a shot-charger, in combination with two slides provided with wad-carriers, one arranged above the other, the lower one ofsaid slides operating the shot charger and the upper one of the slides having a powder-charger carrying a removable core, and a hinged plate connected to the under side of the slide to form thebottom of the charger, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

8. In a cartridge-loading machine, the combination, with the frame thereof formed with a recess, of a hinged carrier having detachably connected thereto a funnel-shaped cylinder, the carrier connected to the front side of the frame of the machine, as shown, and when closed fitting in the recess, and the projecting portion of the cylinder fitting in a seat in the recess, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

9. In a cartridge-loading machine, a carrier hinged to the front side of the frame of the machine and provided with a funnel-shaped cylinder, in combination with means for holding the cartridge-shell, consisting of a metal plate of a shape to form a semicircular seat and provided with springcatches for holding the cartridge-shell in position, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

10. In acartridge-loading machine, the combination, with the means for holding the cartridge and a hinged carrier connected to the front side of the frame of the machine above the seat of the cartridge, as shown, and having a funnelshaped cylinder, of a spring-plunger provided with a detachable head for ramming the wad in the cartridge-shell, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

11. In a cartridge-loading machine, the combination, with two slides provided with push-rods and springs'and having wad-car- In testimony that I claim the above I have riers, of eccentrically-pivoted cut-offs operathereunto subscribed my name in the presence ing in connection with the slides, as set forth, of two witnesses.

and a powder-charger ha ing a removable \V. E. ELAM. core and hinged bottom connected to the up- "Witnesses: per one of the slides, substantially as and for W. M. HAWKEs,

the purpose specific T. N. HAWKES. 

